


Guns Blazing For You

by laurelea_f



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Assassins & Hitmen, Alternate Universe - Spies & Secret Agents, Enemies to Lovers, M/M, Minor Violence, Moral Ambiguity, Rivalry, bang bang pew pew, wayv and 127 are rivaling crews
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-30
Updated: 2021-01-30
Packaged: 2021-03-16 11:00:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,198
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29081274
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/laurelea_f/pseuds/laurelea_f
Summary: Maybe Lucas could kill him right here. Mark was from a rival team, one that posed a threat to his own crew. That would be responsible, right? Or maybe Lucas could talk to him first. He was good at reading people, becoming people. He could gain Mark’s trust and learn more about 127.This was perfect. Did he have an ulterior motive? Absolutely not.“Would you wanna grab coffee again next time?” Lucas was pleased to see the flush spread across Mark’s cheeks. “Just the two of us maybe?”Mark laughed, nervous but genuine. It made Lucas smile again. “Yeah! Yeah I’d love that!”
Relationships: Liu Yang Yang/Xiao De Jun | Xiao Jun, Mark Lee/Wong Yuk Hei | Lucas
Comments: 4
Kudos: 27





	Guns Blazing For You

**Author's Note:**

> this is something i've been slowly working on and is the culmination of ideas since may? im really excited to finally put it out here. 
> 
> my work is finally beta read – shoutout to @cantbemadder 
> 
> i really hope you enjoy!

“Okay, but what if I, like, set the bombs off right before you get the briefcase – _wait, hear me out! –_ so you get a sorta distraction?” Lucas smiled at the way Yangyang was sitting on the edge of his chair, bouncing in his seat. 

“Yangyang, you do realize the whole idea is that we get in and out unseen, right?” Ten’s voice, amused, sounded over the comms. 

“Okay fine.” A pause. “But what if I set them off _after_ you get the briefcase – you get cover, _and_ it’s more subtle. Right? Right?”

“Bombs are the complete opposite of subtle.” 

“Well, we’d certainly make an impression.” Sicheng remarked, and Lucas could almost hear the wry smile on his face. 

Yangyang continued to chatter about his explosives but Ten and Sicheng were humoring him over the comms, so Lucas moved to the other side of the van to join Hendery and Dejun. The former was leaning back and lounging in his chair, while the latter was typing rapidly on his laptop, fingers flying across the keyboard. Lucas leaned over the pair to peer at his reflection in the mirror hung in the corner of the van. 

“How much time left?” he asked them as he fixed his tie. 

“Just under five minutes,” Dejun responded without taking his eyes of the screen of his laptop. 

Nodding, Lucas slipped on a pair of sunglasses. He wasn’t sure why bodyguards had to wear them all the time, but if the job required him to play the role then who was he to complain?

Hendery snorted. “You know if this doesn’t work out then you have a future in being a bodyguard. Man, you seriously look the part.”

Grinning at Hendery’s reflection in the mirror while smoothing a hand through his hair, Lucas joked, “I do look hella good in the uniform.”

“Sure man. Bet you’d meet tons of celebrities if you worked for someone cool.” 

“Or if I worked for someone like Choi I’d get the privilege of meeting tons of weapons dealers and corrupted politicians.” 

Hendery’s grin hardened into something a little more determined when reminded of why they were here in the first place. Lucas straightened his jacket once more. He had a job to do. 

A loud honk interrupted his thoughts and Yangyang scrambled from his seat to one of the windows complete with one way reflective finish. Another honk sounded and Lucas could see a car next to their van through the window near him. 

“Someone needs to teach you how to park,” Lucas laughed at his friend. "We’re still half on the road.” 

“Shut up,” Yangyang grumbled as he hurried to the front of the van to the driver’s seat. “I don’t actually have a license!” He muttered something under his breath in German that Lucas was fairly sure was a string of curse words. 

“Hey Kun-ge,” Dejun piped up from where he was still tapping away at his keyboard. “Make sure the next job needs a sniper. I like Yangyang better when he’s up in his sniper’s nest and not in the van breathing down my neck.” A grin tugged at the corners of his lips. 

“You’d still hear me over the comms though!” Yangyang protested. “Admit it, you just wanna hear me speaking German–” 

“I can turn your mic off.” Dejun looked up with a little devious smirk. 

“You really want me to set off a smoke bomb in your bathroom again?.” 

“Okay, okay!” Dejun laughed, but Lucas could see the slightest hint of fear in his eyes. It probably came with the trauma of the youngest’s past pranks, he thought as he laughed to himself. 

Lucas didn’t get to be in the van that often, but when he did, it was always a treat. 

“Alright kids,” Kun’s voice came over the comms. It was serious, but Lucas could still detect the usual hint of softness to it. “Enough messing around. It’s game time.” 

There would be a moment of disorganization as the guests began to take their seats and everyone moved to new positions in preparation for the speech. It was up to Lucas to make full use of that confusion to get close to their target, sketchy weapons dealer Choi Hyunshik, posing as one of his bodyguards. 

The job was an easy one: Lucas was to hold Choi’s attention so that Ten could slip past and pick up his briefcase, which contained the key codes necessary for Sicheng to gain access to the files in the server room. As per usual, Kun was overseeing the entire job on the scene, while Dejun was operating digitally. This time, he would be coordinating with Sicheng to get the files they needed. The job didn’t require a mechanic or a sniper, so Hendery was going to monitor them over the hacked security cameras and Yangyang was in charge of their escape route. And their emergency bombs as well, apparently.

It was simple. In and out, like Ten had said. 

Keeping an eye on the speaker standing behind the podium shuffling the papers in his hands, Lucas made a beeline for Choi, slipping in beside another burly bodyguard and nodding respectfully when the other man acknowledged him. Lucas clasped his hands in front of him and adjusted his stance, broadening his shoulders and standing straighter. The change in character came as easily as breathing – it was his specialty, blending in. Even though he was tall, his features distinct, someone who walked past him wouldn’t consider him twice, not unless he wanted them to. He could be everyone and no one, all at once. 

Sitting languidly a few seats away from Choi was Ten, looking very suave in a suit and bowtie. Ten didn’t acknowledge Lucas, but a little smirk tugged on the corners of his lips as he looked away from him. Further away, Kun stood with his hands held behind his back. His eyes were focused on the speaker, but Lucas knew he was aware of Ten, of Lucas and their target in his periphery. 

Lucas shifted his focus back to Choi. The man in his early thirties was a new player in the weapons dealing field, Lucas remembered from the briefing, running his own business while working for the big guns. He was new, and very inexperienced. Even now: tense shoulders. Weight shifting from side to side. Briefcase clutched close to him. He was basically begging someone to steal it from him. Lucas laughed to himself. Amateur. 

“I’m in position,” Sicheng’s voice sounded in Lucas’ comm. 

“What took you so long?” Yangyang piped up. 

“You try getting through their laser field.”

Yangyang laughed. “That’s what we have our star acrobat for, ge.” 

Lucas could imagine Sicheng’s fond smile. 

“We’re all in position then. Get ready,” Kun spoke up. Glancing out of the corner of his eye, Lucas couldn’t see Kun move his lips, but still, their leader managed to give them all instructions without betraying his identity. 

Lucas prepared to lean in to speak to Choi, taking a deep breath. No sooner than he let out a calming exhale did the sound of a gunshot rip through the air. 

There was a beat of silence, of nothing, and then the noise returned, flooding Lucas’ senses. A cacophony of screaming erupted as all the guests pushed past each other, desperately trying to get away from the racket or get a closer look at Choi, now collapsed on the ground at Lucas’ feet, blood pooling beneath him. 

_Shit._ That wasn’t supposed to happen.Lucas tore off his jacket and pressed it against the man’s abdomen, yelling for someone to call an ambulance. It was a good cover, he supposed as he glimpsed Ten slipping past him, the briefcase already secured in his hands. Lucas hadn't registered when Ten had picked it up. It was a good cover, except this job didn’t require a body count, and there was a body lying right before Lucas. 

“Payload secured.” 

“Get out of there. Sicheng do you have the files?” Kun’s voice was muffled, his Chinese rapid. 

“What the hell is going on?” Sicheng hissed. 

“Doesn’t matter. Get the files and get out. _Now._ ”

Lucas let one of Choi’s real bodyguards take over, stepping back and waiting for the right moment to make his exit. He knew where the shot had come from – the second floor balcony to his right – but he refrained from looking up and drawing attention to himself. He was a bodyguard, and he was concerned with his employer’s safety and his employer’s safety only. Still, as he looked up at the paramedics arriving, something else caught his eye. 

A man – a boy really, he couldn’t be any older than Lucas – wearing a tailored suit that hugged his frame, hair swept up to reveal a handsome face, was walking away from the scene. Lucas wasn’t sure why the noticed his face, because he wasn’t looking. He wasn’t. 

To say the boy was walking was an understatement. He moved steadily, purposefully, through the crowd. He wasn’t like the rest of the guests; he had direction and determination, and Lucas was stunned that he hadn’t noticed him before. The boy turned around briefly and Lucas caught a glimpse of his eyes, startlingly dark pools. They were piercing like onyx blades, sharp like everything else about him. Even from across the room, Lucas could feel the danger emanating from his knife-edge posture, his calculated movements. This boy was a professional. 

Lucas forced himself to refrain from looking and giving away his position and identity, but in his periphery he tracked the boy across the room as the stranger met up with another man. The man was tall, around Lucas’ height, and he seemed laid back as he was joined by the first boy, but Lucas could see the threatening way he held himself through that easygoing demeanor. A quick glimpse also revealed the faintest outline of what Lucas deduced was a revolver hidden away in his coat. 

Oh, the job was a lot more complicated now. 

“I make two hostiles in the main hall, not counting the sniper,” Lucas told the others under his breath through his comm. "Two men in their twenties, one’s tall and the other has, uh, weird seagull eyebrows.” 

“I see them,” Hendery responded from the van, where he was watching over the security cameras. “They cut the cameras in the balcony but…” The faint sound of typing came over the comms. “Yes! I can make out the sniper and at least another guy in the balcony from the cameras across the corridor. Watch out guys.” 

The two men Lucas saw had crossed to the exit by then. Lucas gave the unconscious figure that was Choi one more look before turning away to follow them, adjusting his stance to ensure he looked like he was where he was supposed to be, and not a contract killer trailing some sketchy men. 

“‘Cas what’re you doing?” Hendery questioned, confusion and urgency creeping into his voice. 

“What does it look like I’m doing? I’m sussing them out,” Lucas hissed back. 

“Do _not_ engage,” Kun suddenly cut in, and Lucas slowed in his steps. “There are three more hostiles in the entrance hall. We're outnumbered. 

Giving one last hopeless look at the retreating figures of the two men, Lucas turned on his heel and strode briskly towards the entrance. “I’m on my way, ge.” He met Kun among the crowd of guests fleeing the scene, and his trained eye immediately identified the aforementioned hostiles, strategically scattered across the room. 

His trained eye then met the piercing gaze of one of the men, the one with the unfairly handsome face and chiseled jaw. The man was looking straight at him, his chin – his chiseled chin. Could chins be chiseled? – leveled as he considered Lucas. Shit. Giving up on subtleties, Lucas whipped around to register the other two. One was young, even younger than the first boy Lucas had seen in the main hall, and the other had a face resembling a… bunny? The three strangers began to close in, and Lucas tensed, ready for a fight. 

Kun let out a string of muttered curse words in Chinese so rapid that even Lucas didn’t catch it. “We’ve been made.” 

Oh, the job was a lot, _lot_ more complicated now.

“Get out of there!” The panic was clear in Hendery’s voice. 

“Yeah, no shit,” Lucas hissed back, squaring his shoulders and reaching for the gun tucked in the holster at his hip. 

“You know what you need?” Yangyang cut in suddenly, eager. “A distraction. You know what a good distraction is? _Bombs._ ” 

Lucas could almost feel the moment Kun’s resolve gave in.

“Fuck it,” Kun said. “Give ‘em hell.” 

The chaos caused by the gunshot had seemed bad enough, but the pandemonium that ensued next was so, so much worse. When the first explosion hit, Kun grabbed Lucas by the arm and they took off without wasting a second of time, sprinting in tandem. Lucas didn’t dare take a look at whether the enemy had managed to follow them, focusing instead on the exit ahead and maneuvering around the poor, screaming guests. 

“You’ve lost them,” Hendery reassured. “Go go go!” 

The pair scrambled out of the building and piled into the the van. Kun took a seat at the wheel – he could actually drive, unlike Yangyang – and slammed his foot down on the gas, gripping the steering wheel until his knuckles were white. No one spoke until they reached a red light, a good kilometer and a half away from the scene of the chaos. 

“Sooo,” Yangyang gave a bleat of nervous laughter. “Told you we needed the bombs!” 

—

There was one table in the back of Kun’s hotpot restaurant that the group hogged whenever they visited the establishment – that is, everyday. It was close enough to the sauce station to appease Lucas and Hendery, but far enough from the other patrons that they wouldn’t be bothered by Yangyang’s boisterousness. And far enough that no one would hear the content of their discussions. 

“Lucas needs to get laaaaiiid,” Hendery and Yangyang chorused. 

Lucas thought briefly of dark onyx-blade eyes and tailored suits– He quickly gave himself an internal shake to clear away the thoughts. “A bit hypocritical, man,” he replied smoothly as he leaned back in his seat. “When was the last time any of you got any?” 

Yangyang, who was snuggled up against Dejun on the other side of the table, gave him a snarky, smug look. Fair enough. Hendery just waved his hand dismissively. “That’s beside the point. You of all people should be getting some. Look at your stupidly handsome face.” 

“Aw, you think I’m handsome?” 

His friend pretended to consider him. “In a boyish, perpetually confused type of way,” Hendery mused. “And your best trait is your lack of self preservation. Hella attractive if you ask me, bro.” 

“Thanks man.” He gave Hendery a fist bump. 

“Just you wait, ‘Cas. I’ll find you a boyfriend yet.” 

Kun emerged from the kitchens with Ten and Sicheng in tow. The senior members of their crew took their seats with the others and Kun slipped out a folder from inside his coat, sliding it onto the middle of the table. 

“Great work on the job,” Kun congratulated them. “The client was very happy to get his illegally acquired files. Your shares of the pay have been transferred to your accounts.” 

Ten gave a little clap. “Oh good! I love being employed.” 

“They’ve assigned us our next target; you’ll be briefed in a few days.” Collected tone. Solemn eyes. Hands clasped on the table. _As usual_ , Lucas knew. 

“Get on to the citing bit,” Ten prompted with a poke to Kun’s side. 

“ _Exciting,_ ” the whole table corrected his Chinese automatically. Ten didn’t bat an eye. 

“And now for the elephant in the room – the team we ran into last night.” Kun reached out and flipped open the folder, turning it so that everyone could see. It contained a grainy photo of a man, his features scarily symmetrical and his eyes cold. "Lee Taeyong. I assume you all know his name.” 

They did. Lucas sucked in a breath. Lee Taeyong was legendary, one of the best – possibly _the_ best – assassin of their time. Wanted in almost every country he had ever been to, the price on his head could probably buy a few of those islands in the Pacific. The number of kills he had was unbelievable, but even more impressive than his skills on the field was his mind. He was methodical, deadly, and he had been on the site of their crew’s job. 

“He’s been working with a team for a while now,” Kun continued, moving aside the first photo to reveal others. “Johnny Seo, Nakamoto Yuta, Fullsun,” he listed. “At least four others.” 

Including the boy with the onyx eyes, Lucas realized. 

“I don’t want you guys to worry.” Ah yes, Kun’s dad side was showing. “It was probably pure chance that they were at the same location, and we probably won’t be seeing them again. Still, I want you guys alert on our next job. I’ll tell you guys if I find out anything else about 127.” 

—

Their crew was kept busy over the next few weeks. They visited various arms warehouses and labs, attended galas, and took trips to corrupt politicians’ penthouse apartments. And at every one of those locations – downtown Seoul, Busan, Jeonju, even a stray job in Beijing – Lee Taeyong and his team were there. They never directly interfered with the jobs Kun accepted: if Kun and they rest of them were hired to take out a man, 127 would be there to pick up a package. If they had to intercept a shipment of weapons, 127 would burn the warehouse down. And at every one of those locations, Lucas would see those onyx-blade eyes, boring into him. 

The final straw was Gangnam.

“Are you in position?” 

“Yep,” Yangyang said over the comms from where he was waiting with his rifle on the roof of the warehouse adjacent to their target. “I have eyes on the inside. I make fourteen men, and I see the goods.” 

“I’m in their system. Fourteen men,” Dejun confirmed. “Six on Kun's side and eight on Ten's. The weapons are in the southwest corner of the warehouse, near you guys, Kun-ge.” 

“Bet you wish I was there with you, Junnie,” Yangyang gushed. 

“Oh, I like you much better when you’re stuck up on a roof,” Dejun returned without missing a beat. The younger gave a humph from his side of the comms. Dejun sighed. “Yes, I miss your stupid ass.” 

Lucas tuned out their voices and sent a grin towards Hendery, who returned it with an entertained look that clearly said _can you believe these two?_ Refocusing his attention on Kun in front of him, Lucas followed him down the narrow strip of space between the two buildings, Hendery close behind him. He knew Ten and Sicheng were approaching the same way from the other side of the warehouse in a pincer, ensuring that both exits were covered and they could take on the enemy from both sides. 

“We’re ready to go,” Kun murmured as the three of them arrived at the large heavy duty door. Ten quickly confirmed that he and Sicheng were in position as well. As Dejun relayed more information about the hostiles inside, Lucas reached for his gun, his other hand automatically moving to touch his rings. He let himself take a deep breath to slow down his heart rate while steeling himself for the impending fight. 

“Alright. Three,” Kun started to count down. Lucas tensed, bracing himself against the wall of the warehouse. “Two.” Lucas looped his finger around the trigger of his gun, ready to attack. “One.” 

The door was kicked down with a bang, the resounding echo of a similar sound coming from the other side of the building where Ten and Sicheng were stationed. Lucas advanced in after Kun, his trained eyes immediately pinpointing the locations of each of the six men on their side of the warehouse. Lifting his gun, he aimed and fired at one of the men. _Five left._ Dodging the punch that was aimed at his head, Lucas twisted around and swiftly pointed his gun at the second man. _Four._ A sickening crack sounded from beside him, followed by a thud, and Lucas turned to see a man fall to the ground at Kun’s feet, unconscious. _Three._

He wasn’t quite as lucky the next time. 

By then, the next man had approached Lucas before he had time to readjust – the gun was knocked out of his hands and a punch landed squarely on his chest, the wind knocked clean out of him. 

He fixed his eyes onto the man. Shorter than him. But buff. Would use his weight against Lucas. From his stance, he was mostly likely a puncher and not a kicker. 

Backing away to give himself time to reset, Lucas then took a running start and launched himself at the man, using his own height to his advantage and attacking from above. The man was strong – and heavy. He maintained his balance, but he was still caught off guard, focus diverted. Lucas crouched down low and swung out a leg, knocking the man off his feet. He lunged forward and got ahold of the man before he landed on the ground, an arm swiftly locking around his neck. It only took less than a minute.

Quick and clean – _two._

Scrambling to his feet, Lucas scanned the scene. Kun was still engaged in a fight with one of the men. Despite Kun’s thing for not killing, Lucas knew he had it under control. Hendery was also locked in combat with the last man on their side of the warehouse. Lucas charged to his friend. 

Seeing him approach, Hendery quirked an eyebrow at Lucas. _I am clearly handling him._

Lucas gave him an exasperated look as he pushed him away to aim a punch at the man’s solar plexus. _You have your own part to do._

 _You sure you don’t need help?_

_Go!_ The man kicked out, but Lucas blocked it and returned his own flurry of kicks. _Job first–_

 _–Job first, I know, I know._ The exasperated look Hendery threw over his shoulder matched Lucas’ as he ran off to the crates of weapons stacked on the side of warehouse. 

Lucas promptly dispatched the man – _one –_ at the same moment he hurt another dull thud and turned around to see Kun standing over an unconscious man, slightly out of breath but calm as ever. _Zero_. 

Stepping over the body, Lucas surveyed the scene. On the other side of the warehouse, Ten and Sicheng were finishing up, their opponents scattered on the ground on various positions on the spectrum of injured to dead. A last man was shot to the ground and Lucas traced the trajectory of the bullet up to Yangyang’s rifle from his perch. Hendery jogged up to Lucas, having already acquired what he was after, a prototype of a specially modified weapon that their client did not want released into the black market. The others came to join them too, one by one. 

“Good work guys,” Kun said, dusting off his gloved hands. “Let’s head back, it’s late.” 

“Celebratory hotpot!” Ten pumped a fist in the air. 

“My restaurant is gonna go broke if I keep giving you guys free food,” Kun sighed, massaging his temple dramatically. 

“You keep saying that and yet you still feed us,” Ten countered triumphantly. 

“Um, guys,” Yangyang’s voice cut in through the comms. There was an edge to it that drew Lucas’ attention. “Not to be a party pooper, but, like, a man just left the warehouse. I don’t even know where he came from. I swear I had eyes on you guys the whole time!”

“Where is he now?” The usual solemn sharpness was back in Kun’s voice. 

“He took a left, approaching the edge of the building – _scheisse!_ ” Yangyang swore under his breath, his next words coming with urgency. “He turned the corner. I lost him.” 

Dejun’s voice came over the comms without missing a beat, the faint tapping of keys sounding as he operated the security cameras. “I got it. He’s running to the north side of the complex. It’s the direction opposite to our rendezvous point.”

When Ten turned to Kun, the earlier glee in his eyes was replaced with knife-sharp seriousness. “Kun, your call?”

“We’re done,” he answered with a firm shake of his head. “We’ve done our part of the job.” 

“What?” Lucas retorted. “No, we haven’t.” 

“Lucas, we have the weapon. We’re _done._ ”

“We were hired to take out all the men in the warehouse. As long as there’s a man standing, we haven’t done that.” 

“ _Xuxi_ –”

Lucas backed away with disbelief. He saw Hendery try to grab his arm from beside him, but the other was too slow. It was for the job. And the job came first. 

Ignoring the calls of his crew, he sprinted out of the building, down the strip of space between the rows of warehouses and taking the left Yangyang had mentioned. “Dejun, where is he now.” No response came. “Dejun.” Lucas could almost imagine how the hacker was torn between listening to the leader and finishing the job. It didn’t matter. Even if he preferred having Dejun’s eyes, Lucas could do this himself. 

He finally spotted the man up ahead, a shadow among shadows. Lucas quickened his pace. The man was short, but lean. Agile. Quick too, by the ground he was covering. Lucas could take him. 

“Lucas _wait_.” Dejun suddenly cut in. Lucas ignored him – he was gaining on the man. “There’s someone else in pursuit! Your four o’clock! No! Watch out–” 

If it hadn’t been for the warning, Lucas would have missed the faintest whistle in the wind, the sound of the knife cutting through the air. Even so, he barely had time to dodge to the side, and the metal still nicking the tip of his ear. He sucked in a breath through his teeth. 

Without slowing down, he whipped around to find the owner of the blade thrown, and – shit – his eyes met dark onyx ones. The boy was wearing a mask over his face like Lucas, but Lucas had seen those eyes enough. It was _him_. By now, he should’ve been used to seeing 127 show up at their jobs, but the sight of the boy still made his heart stutter, the adrenaline of a fight rushing faster through his veins. 

Lucas thought he had lost the boy and the feeling of onyx daggers piercing into him by the time he had followed the man up to the roof of the warehouse. But the man cried out in pain as soon as he stepped onto the wide expanse above the building, a knife protruding from his arm. 

Before his mind had time to react, Lucas had already acted out of instinct, darting to the side as more throw knives followed in quick succession, this time aimed at him. The boy’s aim really was not bad. In one smooth move, Lucas drew his gun and fired a shot at the boy, but he quickly had to refocus his attention towards the man. The rifle the man had produced was meant for long range combat and would give him no advantage in this proximity, Lucas knew. 

But apparently the man didn’t even need the rifle. While Lucas was distracted with knocking the gun out of the man’s hands, the man swiftly delivered a punch to Lucas’ jaw, followed by a sharp upper cut. The pain was searing, red hot. Lucas strained to see through the haze of dizziness, his forced clarity enabling him to dodge another knife that flew his way but not the man’s next flurry of attacks. 

He still hadn’t fully regained his focus when the boy launched himself forward, knocking Lucas out of the way. He hit the ground hard. Was he out of practice? Maybe he was just distracted; those onyx eyes still felt like they were boring into him. 

Lucas scrambled for cover when yet another knife found its way towards him – whether it was aimed at him or just a stray knife, he had no idea. Shielding himself behind a vent cap, he considered his options. He could let them fight it out. Perhaps the boy could take care of the man for him. He had seen the boy’s abilities countless times now, his calculated movements sharp. But he still didn’t know the boy’s motives. Lucas had no other way to ensure his job was done other than to handle it himself. 

Keeping close to the vent, Lucas peered over the top of it. And shit, the boy really was impressive. 

He was small, but he was fast. He launched attack after attack on the man, kicking and slashing out with his knife. Lucas could see the experience in the way his body melted seamlessly through each move. He kept close to the man but was able to dodge and block, able to step away but change his defense to a counterattack in the span of half a second. Calculated. Sharp. 

Lucas found himself wincing when the man closed in with a right hook and kick combination and the boy staggered back. He needed to do something. 

The sensation of being watched prickled his skin, all spiders crawling. His gaze snapped up with a hand gripping his gun and the other thumbing his rings. The boy had managed to find him through the action and the darkness, daggers piercing into Lucas again. There was a question in his eyes – a grudging request. Lucas narrowed his eyes and the boy’s expression became more insistent. 

Alright then. It appeared they had come to an agreement. 

A deep breath. A last touch to his rings. Lucas leapt to his feet and charged forward, raising his gun in the same motion and firing it. The man howled in pain as he stumbled back, a hand pressed to his shoulder as he fended off the boy’s enduring attacks futilely. Lucas squeezed off another shot before running in. He delivered a swift blow to his skull and was about to close in with a final shot when the boy suddenly paused in his attacks to fling a knife towards Lucas, skimming his arm. 

What the hell? The pure animosity in the boy’s eyes caught Lucas off guard. He’d never seen it before. It was nothing like the cold calmness whenever they ran into each other on jobs. No – this time, Lucas was in the boy’s way. 

Fine. Lucas would play by the boy’s game. For now. When the boy landed a spinning kick, Lucas took advantage of the moment to follow with an uppercut to the chin then dealt another blow to the man's skull with the butt of his gun. The man promptly fell to the ground, unconscious. 

“Okay, now that he’s out of the way, who the hell are you?” 

The boy returned Lucas’ question with an expression that was like cold metal biting into his skin. The tight grip on his knife didn’t escape Lucas’ attention. “Look, I don’t know who you are and why your team keeps showing up at our missions. But this is _my_ mission, and I would like to you move out of the way.” 

Mission? What was he, some morally righteous soldier? Some corner of Lucas’ mind filed away the fact that the boy didn’t know why their crews kept being hired for the same jobs, but the other parts of him could only focus on his voice, overwhelming. It flowed smooth and sweet, with a dangerous edge to it. It made him feel like he was downing a numbing glass of whiskey on the rocks on a hot day. The boy’s eyes burned like ice.

“And what exactly do you want with this guy? To kill him yourself?” 

The boy looked affronted. “I don’t kill unless I have to. It’s just your team that finishes off everyone in your way.” 

That wasn’t true. But Lucas scoffed instead. “Makes one wonder how you even got into this job with high and mighty morals.” 

The boy just spun the knife deftly between his fingers. 

“ _Xuxi_ ,” Dejun’s voice suddenly cut in through the comms. “Why are you on a roof? Do you have any idea how hard it was to get eyes on you?” he grumbled. “Whatever it is you’re doing, hurry up. There’s a helicopter approaching your location, I say you’ve got five minutes, ten tops. Yangyang is almost at the adjacent warehouse to back you up.” A pause. “Be careful.” 

“Just stay away.” The boy narrowed his eyes. “Or I _will_ kill you.” 

“Whoa, whoa! What happened to your morals, man?” 

He rolled his eyes. “Mission comes first.” 

The blood in Lucas’ veins rushed with adrenaline, then froze at the familiar phrase. In the next moment, there really was a knife pressed against his throat, dangerously close to his carotid artery. 

Without thinking, Lucas gripped onto the boy’s arm, twisting and pulling back. The knife clattered to the ground. Now facing him, Lucas pinned the other’s arm to his side, reaching to his own hip for his gun in the same motion. He registered the brief shock in the boy's eyes, but the boy, instantly recovering, kicked a leg out and struck the hand at Lucas’ hip then Lucas’ shoulder. The momentum of the kick pulled his arm out of Lucas’ grip, freeing him. Their eyes met for a brief moment. They both glanced at the knife on the ground. Without missing another beat, the boy dove to the ground to grab his weapon and Lucas lunged after him, managing to secure both his wrists in his hands, holding him down with his back on the ground. His opponent shoved a knee up into his chest, nearly knocking the wind out of him. Maneuvering around, Lucas threw a leg over the boy, using his weight to restrict the boy’s movements. 

Breath uneven with adrenaline sill coursing through his system, Lucas stared down while the other struggled against his grip, writhing. His mask still covered his face, but if anything that just made his eyes stand out even more. Up close, they were even more dangerous as they glared up at him defiantly. Lucas had the feeling nothing could get past these eyes. 

For one strange second the boy stilled and met his gaze, chin tilted up, and Lucas found himself unable to tear his eyes away. 

Yangyang’s voice suddenly sounded in his ear. “Lucas, I’m here! I can almost – I need you to move! I can make the shot!”

Lucas froze. No – Yangyang couldn’t shoot the boy. 

The boy must’ve heard Yangyang as well or sensed _something_ , because he narrowed his eyes. With impossible flexibility, he hooked a leg around Lucas’ neck, twisting him around, and used the momentum of pushing Lucas down to launch himself onto his feet. 

“Stand down,” Lucas hissed into his comm, pushing himself to stand. To the boy, he said, “my crew is here. You should leave.” 

“Then why haven’t you called them?” 

Good question. Lucas threw a series of punches at jabs at him instead. The boy was able to block most of them, but Lucas felt a satisfying crack when his fists found their mark. The boy retaliated with his own volley of kicks and hits. They’d reached a deadlock; both were unable to win the fight but neither were losing either. 

“ _Lucas!_ ” There was a new urgency in Dejun’s voice. “You have to get out of there _now._ The helicopter is close, ETA just over a minute. Yangyang, you too!” 

Lucas helplessly glanced between the boy and the stairs leading away from the roof. The other seemed to sense that he’d won – this time – because he backed away, the look in his eyes triumphant. Fine. Lucas dove away to grab the gun that’d been knocked out of his hands earlier, aiming it at the boy before he even regained his footing. The boy raised both hands. “I’m not trying anything. You have the gun.” He shrugged. “I like my life intact.” 

With one last look at those dark eyes and a last glance at the man still unconscious on the ground, the reason the whole fight had started, Lucas backed away before tearing down the stairs. 

The whirring of the stealth helicopter’s blades was barely detectable as Lucas watched a tall man step out of the aircraft to help the boy take away the unconscious man. The boy seemed to look Lucas' way before the helicopter departed and Lucas was left with a strange feeling in his stomach. 

—

“I don’t follow.” 

“Why not?”

“Why are you wearing the sunglasses again?” 

Yangyang threw an arm around Dejun, his other hand adjusting the huge gaudy sunglasses balanced on his nose. “Because, Junnie, we’re in public. I gotta keep, like, a low profile.” 

“There’s nothing low profile about them,” Dejun returned wryly, but the fond smile on his face was obvious to Lucas. “Aren’t they Ten’s?”

Yangyang blew air out of his lips. “They look better on me anyways!”

“They do not.”

“Yes they do!”

“Do not,” Hendery contributed helpfully.

“Yes they do!”

“Yes they do,” Dejun sighed, and Yangyang gave a gleeful laugh. 

Lucas smiled at the pair. “Oh man, Ten’s gonna kill you if he hears you say that. You know how many knives he has lying around the house.” 

“Pshh.” Yangyang waved a hand dismissively. “I’m literally getting him coffee. He should be thanking me.” 

The others headed up to the cashier to order their drinks and Lucas went to grab them a table. It was nice, he thought, to get away from it all once in a while – put down the guns, the job briefs, and just get coffee with his friends. 

Lucas stepped back to let one of the cafe employees balancing a tray of mugs and plates pass. But stepped right into the path of some hapless customer taking their drink back from the counter to their table. 

“Oh shit!” Didn’t that voice sound familiar? 

The other person was smaller than him so Lucas really was fine, but the other guy wasn’t so lucky. He lost his balance toppling forward, but somehow still managed to keep ahold of his porcelain mug and with his other hand catch the book that had been tucked under his arm. Impressive. His drink still sloshed down his front though. Unfortunately good reflexes couldn’t negate gravity. 

Lucas reached out a hand to the boy’s arm automatically to steady him, letting the boy lean against his weight to regain his balance. 

“Thanks,” he said, a bit breathless as he looked up at Lucas to bow respectfully. 

And Lucas stared down at a pair of black eyes. Onyx. 

Oh. 

Lucas had barely seen the boy’s face when it wasn’t covered by a mask on jobs, but he’d recognize those eyes anywhere. And they didn’t seem like they belonged to the rest of the boy’s appearance. He was wearing a hoodie that he was drowning in, with glasses perched on his nose, hair left down to sweep over his forehead. He looked soft. No hard lines, no knife-edge posture. But they were still the same eyes. 

His eyes were wide, Lucas noticed. Head ducked down. A flush spreading across his cheeks. This boy wasn’t dangerous, he seemed – sweet? And he didn’t seem to recognize Lucas either. 

In the next half second, Lucas opened up his shoulders but didn’t stand too straight – sincere, but not threateningly so. He quickly schooled his expression into one of surprise, honesty. 

“I’m so sorry! Are you alright?” he asked the boy, the concern genuine. 

“I’m honestly so clumsy I do this all the time did any of it spill on you I’m so sorry–” The words tumbled out of the boy’s lips. 

Lucas smiled at him and the boy paused in his flustered rambling to smile back. “Let’s get you some tissues. Can I get you another drink? This really was my fault,” Lucas offered. 

The boy’s smile widened, one side of his lips pulling higher than the other. “That would – that would be great. Thank you.” 

“I’m Lucas, by the way.” 

“Mark.” 

As Lucas and the boy – Mark – made their way back to the counter, Lucas tried to avoid eye contact with his friends, but it was hard to ignore the dirty smirk Yangyang was throwing his way. Dejun just seemed entertained. But it really was Hendery that Lucas was trying to avoid. Even now, the single quirked eyebrow, despite how he was grinning along with Yangyang, showed that Hendery could see straight through his act.

But what was his act? Maybe he could kill the boy right here. Mark was from a rival crew, one that posed a threat to their own team. That would be responsible, right? Or maybe Lucas could talk to him first. He was good at reading people, becoming people. He could gain Mark’s trust and learn more about 127. 

This was perfect. Did he have an ulterior motive? Absolutely not. 

Lucas graciously paid for Mark’s second coffee, throwing in two white chocolate cookies for him in the order as well. 

“Are you not getting a drink?” Mark asked after. 

“Oh no, my friends are there.” Lucas hooked a thumb behind him, pairing it with sheepish laughter. Mark peered over Lucas’ shoulder but quickly redirected his attention at Lucas, looking slightly alarmed. The guys must’ve been doing something weird. “They’re pretty embarrassing,” Lucas laughed again, and Mark joined in. 

“I, uh, won’t keep you then? Thanks so much for the coffee, seriously.” 

Wait, were they done? Lucas didn’t want them to be done. Because he hadn’t gotten any information out of Mark, obviously. There had to be some way to stay longer, maybe if he got his friends to leave? Or maybe– 

“Lucas, I was, like, um–” 

“Would you wanna grab coffee again next time?” Lucas was surprisingly pleased to see the flush spread across Mark’s cheeks again. “Just the two of us maybe?” 

Mark laughed, nervous but genuine. It made Lucas smile again. “Yeah! Yeah I’d love that!”

Lucas returned to their table a few minutes later to face his friends’ smirks, much to his chagrin. 

“What was that?” Yangyang singsonged. 

“You know how you said you’d find me a boyfriend?” Lucas grumbled. Yangyang let out an uncharacteristic squeal and even Dejun broke out into a grin. “Shut up…” 

Hendery laughed along and joined in on the teasing, poking, and chatter that ranged from excited to teasing to full on mocking, but Lucas knew the look on his best friend’s face. 

_We’re gonna talk about this later._

Oh, Lucas really needed to figure out what he was doing before then. He’d played roles like this for jobs before though, hadn’t he? How different could this be? _The difference is that this might be real_ , his brain helpfully supplied. 

_Job first_ , he reminded himself. 

**Author's Note:**

> thank you for reading – i hope you liked this so far!
> 
> i'm not sure how regularly i'll be able to update this but i'll do my best to slowly work through it. i have so many ideas for this fic and i'm so excited to write it – i hope you'll stick with me in the meantime!


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